As soon as we arrived, I noticed Painted Turtle Girl. Due to having a pair of painted turtle hatchlings temporarily residing under my roof, I would've liked to have my photo taken with her. But she was too busy.
Smokey the Bear, however, is always ready for a photo-op!
I'm probably the only (supposedly) grown-up person who insisted on posing with him.
The ever-popular Locked in Death exhibit was there.
These two moose were discovered as carcasses, their antlers permanently locked in a deadly unlockable grip. A taxidermist went to work on them and now it's a travelling display.
The Trappers Association had their own taxidermy display, showing the various fur-bearing critters.
I particularly like the fisher.
At the edge of the woodland where the stuffed critters roamed was a sharp drop-off. Down below was the Merrimack River, and at a distance of about a mile is downtown--and this nice view of the capitol dome soaring above leafing-out trees.
The Falconers Association was there, with many many birds, on the arm gauntlet and on their perches.
There were fly-fishing casting clinics, classroom presentations in the education building, dog-retrieving exhibitions, huge tents with information on wildlife and environmental activities and reps from various the state agencies and nonprofit associations. The Search and Rescue air boat was there. The OHRV and Snowmobilers Association had displays.
The place was swarming with kids and adults. The weather was exquisite!
Not a wild animal, but very important nonetheless: a Spinone Italiano.
Her name is Stella. She's the only one I've ever met in real life. I've often seen the breed on telly at the Westminster and Crufts and AKC Eukanuba dog shows.
Why was becoming acquainted with Stella a highlight of my day? Because one of her (fictional) forbears appears in my novel. A serendipitous and most unexpected research opportunity!
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